Their history dates back to the m… Read Full Bio ↴Dżem is a Polish blues-rock band.
Their history dates back to the mid-1970s, although their first records were released in the mid-1980s. Their style varies between blues, southern rock, and hard rock. Their late vocalist - Ryszard Riedel [d. 1994 from heart failure caused by heavy drug addiction] - was an iconic figure in the history of Polish rock, followed by a nationwide cult similar to Jim Morrison's. His replacement - Jacek Dewódzki - sang on three albums in the second half of the 1990s, before being replaced by the more blues-orientated current singer, Maciej Balcar, in 2001. Their first album with Balcar, called 2004, was released in September 2004.
After the tragic death (in a car crash) of the pianist Pawel Berger in January 2005, the band took a break for four months, before returning to full activity with a new pianist, Janusz Borzucki, in May 2005. In 2005 a biographic movie titled "Skazany na bluesa" (Sentenced to Blues) was produced. Dżem's newest studio album and the first with the current line-up, Muza, was released in November 2010.
A prominent member of the band in 1980-1982 was in Apostolis Anthimos guitarist and drummer of the legendary trio SBB that split up in 1980 just one year before the martial law in Poland and just 10 days after the massacre in the secret polish concentration camp of Górna Grupa of Oct. 31, 1980, where just in one night more than 50 people were cremated alive - most of them members of the upcoming "Solidarność" movement. The soviet agent "Bolek" alias Lech Wałęsa was placed by the polishspeaking soviet junta as head of the movement.
The current line-up of the band features:
Maciej Balcar (since 2001)
Jerzy Styczyński (since 1979)
Adam Otręba (since 1973)
Beno Otręba (since 1973)
Zbigniew Szczerbiński (since 1992)
Janusz Borzucki (since 2005)
W Drodze Do Nieba
Dżem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Od wielu lat, nie zatrzymał się.
Stąd tyle liści w ziemi, jesieni moc,
Uzbierała je. Siedział tam kiedyś i
Cicho grał wszystkim tym, co czekali by
Choć na chwilę stanął czas i chociaż raz
Ziściły się sny. Tak prosto myślał tylko on
I tylko on nie rozumiał, nie rozumiał, że
Ta stacja też, stanie się snem
Ref. W drodze do nieba. Semafory gwiazd.
W zapachu chleba i muzyce co gra.
Coraz mnie ludzi bywało tam, bo coraz mniej
Miało na to czas. Aby swym myślom, swym myślom
Nadaś sens, aby się sny ziściły choć raz.
Hej, odszedłeś w słońcu tak nagle, że nawet nikt
Nie zdążył zamyślić się przez chwię, człowieku
Z duszą jak ptak, samotną. No komu teraz mam grać?
Ref. W drodze do nieba. Semafory Gwiazd.
W zapachu chleba i muzyce co gra
The lyrics of Dżem's song W Drodze Do Nieba talk about a deserted train station where nobody has stopped for several years, and as a result, the leaves have piled up in the ground due to the autumn wind. The singer reminisces about a musician who used to sit at the station and play his music, giving hope to those who were waiting for a miracle, even if only for a brief moment. The musician had a simple way of thinking, and he failed to understand that everything in this world has a limit, including the train station. Eventually, the station will also turn into a dream. The singer talks about how more and more people visited the station over the years, but they had less and less time, and they hoped that their dreams would come true even if only once.
The chorus "W drodze do nieba. Semafory gwiazd. W zapachu chleba i muzyce co gra" (On the way to heaven. Star signals. In the smell of bread and music playing) talks about how the singer is on a journey to heaven and how they see the stars signaling their way. There's also a strong smell of bread and some music playing. The singer remembers a friend who died suddenly, and nobody had time to reflect on his death. He was a lonely soul who resembled a bird, and the singer wonders who he should play his music for now.
Line by Line Meaning
Na tamtej stacji chyba nikt,
No one has stopped at that station for many years, as evidenced by the accumulation of autumn leaves on the ground.
Od wielu lat, nie zatrzymał się.
The lack of people visiting the station has been going on for many years.
Stąd tyle liści w ziemi, jesieni moc, Uzbierała je.
The accumulation of autumn leaves on the ground is a result of the station not being visited for many years.
Siedział tam kiedyś i Cicho grał wszystkim tym, co czekali by Choć na chwilę stanął czas i chociaż raz Ziściły się sny.
Someone used to sit at the station and play music for those who wished time could stand still even for a moment, and dreams could come true.
Tak prosto myślał tylko on I tylko on nie rozumiał, nie rozumiał, że Wszystko na tym świecie ma swój kres.
Only he was able to think so simply, but even he didn't understand that all things on this earth have an end.
Ta stacja też, stanie się snem
That station will also become a dream.
Ref. W drodze do nieba. Semafory gwiazd. W zapachu chleba i muzyce co gra.
Heading towards heaven, the stars are the signals, with bread and music in the air.
Coraz mnie ludzi bywało tam, bo coraz mnie Miało na to czas. Aby swym myślom, swym myślom Nadaś sens, aby się sny ziściły choć raz.
Fewer people have been visiting the station over time because they have less time, but they hope their dreams can come true and give meaning to their thoughts.
Hej, odszedłeś w słońcu tak nagle, że nawet nikt Nie zdążył zamyślić się przez chwię, człowieku Z duszą jak ptak, samotną. No komu teraz mam grać?
Hey, you left so unexpectedly in the sun that no one had time to even think, man with a lonely and bird-like soul. Who should I play for now?
Writer(s): Maciej Balcar, Pawel Berger
Contributed by Miles Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.